Experts choose five possible landing sites on the Moon for the UAE’s Rashid rover

The UAE plans to land its Rashid rover on the near side of the Moon and chose five possible locations.

Officials are laying the groundwork for a 2024 launch, the latest significant step forward for the country’s burgeoning space sector.

The Hope probe – the first Arab mission to Mars – is set to reach the Red Planet in February. Now, the country has it sights firmly set on travelling to the Moon.

The mission was announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, last month.

Compared with the far side of the Moon, the near side offers a smoother surface with fewer craters.

Dr Hamad Al Marzooqi, head of the Emirates Lunar Mission, said it was selecting areas on the Moon that remained unexplored and met certain criteria.

“It has to have interesting features that can be explored through our science instruments,” he said during on online forum hosted by the Italian embassy in the UAE on Thursday.

“The area should have no slopes bigger than 15 degrees, the distribution of boulders should be less than 30 centimetres in height, it will be the near side of the Moon and we are targeting mid-latitude locations.”

A primary location and a back- up location will be selected soon.

Dr Al Marzooqi said the mission’s main area of scientific interest would be studying the properties of lunar regolith or the dirt covering rocks.

The mission’s findings will contribute to global efforts to build a space station, called Lunar Gateway, in the Moon’s orbit. The UAE could benefit from that space station as the country works towards its long-term goal of building a city on Mars by 2117.

Rashid will be able to travel at a maximum speed of 10 centimetres a second.

The rover, equipped with four wheels, can climb over an obstacle with a maximum height of 10 centimetres and descend a slope of 20 degrees.

Emirati engineers will build the rover, but the lander will be acquired through either an international partner or commercial provider.

“We are currently negotiating with different potential partners and we are at an advanced stage in [choosing] a lander, and we’ll disclose the conclusions of these discussions in the coming months,” Dr Al Marzooqi said.